Ryan knew $1M wouldn't always be a big salary

ARLINGTON (AP) - Nolan Ryan remembers being laughed at in 1979 when he became baseball's first $1 million player and said his contract quickly would be dwarfed.

"They made fun of that," Ryan said Tuesday. "Shortly thereafter, people surpassed that figure. And we know what has happened since then."

Ryan was at The Ballpark in Arlington for a pregame ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of the last of his record seven no-hitters. At age 44, he pitched a no-hit, 3-0 victory for Texas against Toronto.

Even he was amazed during the offseason when the Rangers signed shortstop Alex Rodriguez to a record $252 million, 10-year contract.

"Wow, I thought that was pretty interesting," Ryan said. "When they went over $10 million, I thought they were probably reaching the limits then."

Ryan's last no-hitter came at Arlington Stadium. He calls it the most memorable of his seven.

"Look back on it and you realize that it's been 10 years and how quick that time's gone," Ryan said.

"It's the most recent in my memory. There was a pretty good span between the first and the last one. I think too, I really thought that was a part of my career that was over with."

Ryan struck out 16 of the 29 batters he faced against Toronto in the 3-0 victory. Kelly Gruber and Joe Carter were the only two Blue Jays to reach, both on walks.

Steve Buechele, the Rangers third baseman that night, knew after the first inning as he and shortstop Jeff Huson ran off the field that it could be a special night.

"We both had that look like, 'All right, here we go again,' because it was that dominating a first inning," Buechele said Tuesday. "We both just kind of knew that he had good stuff that night and this could be another one."

Ryan threw his first two no-hitters with California in 1973, and threw one in each of the next two seasons for the Angels. The fifth no-hitter came in 1981, his second year with Houston, and No. 6 was in 1990.

"It's amazing. What he did was unbelievable," said Rafael Palmeiro, the Rangers first baseman Tuesday and also a decade earlier.

"Just think, half of those one-hitters could have been no-hitters. That would have been 13 no-hitters, and would have been the most unbelievable record. It still is anyway."

Though he rarely reflects on his playing days, Ryan said watching a replay of the seventh no-hitter gave him goosebumps.

Ryan still throws occasionally, most recently with one of his three children this spring. While he used to routinely throw 100 mph or more, he's not sure of what his velocity is now.

Double bypass heart surgery in April 2000 and a brief hospital stay because of tightness in his chest last October forced Ryan to curtail his physical activities some. But he's looking fit and feeling good.

"Since about February, everything has been going well. They seem to have me pretty well lined up," Ryan said. "I'm pretty much back to normal activities, but I don't work out as strenuously as I used to."